Container for shotgun shells



July 25, 1967 J. 35 CAPUA 3,332,594

CONTAINER FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS Filed Oct. 22, 1965 INVENTOR. JERRY A, DC CAPUA maze/v5.1

United States Patent 3,332,594 CONTAINER FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS Jerry A. De Capua, Hamden, Conn., assignor to Olin Mathieson Chemical Corporation, a corporation of Virinia g Filed Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No. 500,795

2 Claims. (Cl. 224-15) This invention relates to containers and more particularly relates to containers for packaging shotgun shells.

It is an object of this invention to provide a shotgun shell container which may be suspended from the belt of the user. 7

It is a further object of this invention to provide a container for shotgun shells having a removable section to provide a dispensing opening through which the shells may be removed one at a time and wherein the following shotgun shell is prevented from being accidently discharged.

These and other objects of this invention may be accomplished according to a preferred embodiment of the invention by providing a container having a top closure panel hingedly connected to the rear wall of a container. The top closure panel may include a tuck flap hingedly connected to the free end of a top closure portion. A score line may extend transversely across the closure portion.

A removable section defined by a line of Weakness may extend across each of the side Walls of the container and extend partially into the front and side walls thereof. Each removable section defines a dispensing opening for a shotgun shell and has upper and lower lips in the side walls and an opening in the front and rear wall coextensive with the opening in the side walls,

This invention may be more readily understood by reference to the following description of a preferred embodiment and to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of the front side and top of the container as seen looking downwardly from above;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the side, rear, and bottom of the container as seen looking upwardly from below; and

FIGURE 3 is a perspective view of the container as seen from looking downwardly from above showing it attached to the belt of a user and with the removable dispensing sections removed.

Referring to FIGURES 1 and 2, the container generally comprises a front wall 2, side walls 4 and 6, a rear wall 8, and top and bottom closure panels and 12. A glue flap (not shown) may be hingedly attached to the side wall 4 and glued to the rear wall 8 to provide a generally rectangular structure.

Top end panels 14 and 16 may be hingedly connected to the side walls 4 and 6 respectively. The top and panels 14 and 16 may include laterally extending tongue portions 16 and 18 adjacent the free ends thereof.

The top closure panel 10 is hingedly connected to the rear wall 8 of the container and includes a top tuck flap 24 hingedly connected to the free end of a top closure portion 26. A score line 28 extends transversely across the top closure portion 26 to define a first top section 30 and a second top section 32.

The bottom end panel 12 is hingedly connected to the front wall 2 and may include a bottom tuck flap 33 which is hingedly connected to a bottom closure portion 35. The bottom of the container may also be provided with a pair of opposed bottom end panels hingedly connected to the side walls 4 and 6, although such panels do not appear in the drawing. The bottom end panels may be constructed similar to to the top end panels 14 and 16.

3,332,594 Patented July 25, 1967 Removable sections 34 and 36 may extend across the side walls 4 and 6 respectively. Each removable section has a portion 38, 40, 42 and 44 extending partially into the front and rear walls 2 and 8 of the container as shown in FIGURES l and 2. Each of the removable sections is defined by a line of weakness 46 which is formed by partially cutting or perforating the container.

In use, the bottom of the container is closed, and, after the container is loaded with shotgun shells 47, the top end panels may be enclosed over the top of the container by inter-engaging their tongue portions 16 and 18. The top closure panel may then be folded over the top of the end panels and the top tuck flap 24 tucked in between the end panels 10 and 12 and the front wall 2. The shells, at this point, are completely enclosed within the container and the container may be distributed to a shooter.

When the shooter procures the container and desires to use the shotgun shells, he may fold the top closure panel 10 back and insert the panel between his "belt 48 and body. The top tuck flap 24 and second top section 32 may he folded around the belt by bending at the score line 28 such that they tuck flap 24 and the second top section 32 are positioned between the container and belt 38. The weight of the container will then serve to lock the top closure panel on the belt.

To remove the removable sections 34 and 36 and thereby provide a dispensing opening for access to the shotgun shells, the user may grasp the portion of each removable section that extends into the front and rear walls between his thumb and one of his fingers and press inwardly to separate such portions from their respective walls. The user may then pull outwardly, away from the side walls of the container, to separate the remaining portion of the removable section from the side wall.

As can be seen in FIGURE 2, after the removable sections have been removed, each of the dispensing openings 50 in the container is defined by an upper lip portion 52 and a lower lip portion 54, The opening between the lip portions 52 and 54 is less than the thickness of a shotgun shell. The width of the opening in the side walls 4 and 6 immediately adjacent the hinged connection of the front and rear walls 2 and 8 is greater than that between the lip portions 40 and 42 and substantially the same as the thickness of a shotgun shell. The provision of the spaced lip portions prevents a following shotgun shell from being accidently discharged from the container after the user removes a shell.

The openings in the front and side walls 2 and 8 include a first portion 56 immediately adjacent the hinged connection to the side walls having a width equal to the adjacent portion of the opening in the side wall and a reduced second portion 58 having a width equal to the Width between the lip portions 52 and 54.

The openings in the front and rear walls expose the ends of the shotgun shell 47 and permit the user to grasp the shotgun shell between his thumb and one of his fingers and remove it from the container. The enlarged first portion 56 of the opening permits the user to tilt the axis of the shotgun shell relative to the plane of the side wall to facilitate its removal while the reduced portion 58 prevents accidental ejection of the shotgun shell from the container in a direction parallel to its axis.

By virtue of the above-described construction, the shotgun shell container of this invention incorporates a top closure member which can be utilized to attach the container to the belt of a user to provide easy access to shotgun shells. Moreover, the particular configuration of the dispensing opening insures that only one shell can be removed from the container at one time, thereby preventing the danger of shells falling loose from the container without the knowledge of the user. By providing removable sections having a configuration of the dispensing opening, the package of shells may be transported and sold in a complete enclosure, with the removable section .only being removed at the time it is desired to use the shells.

While reference has been made to one particular em bodiment of this invention, various alterations and modifications will readily suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, the scope of this invention should be ascertained by reference to the following claims.

, What is claimed is:

1. A container for shotgun shells for attachment to a belt of a user comprising front and rear walls, two side walls, a bottom closure panel, and a top closure panel, said top closure panel including a top closure portion having one end hingedly connected to said rear Wall, a tuck flap hingedly connected to the opposite end of said top closure portion, and a score line extending across said closure portion in a direction parallel to the end thereof and dividing said closure panel into first and second sec tions, said top closure flap being adapted to be wrapped around a belt by bending along said score line, and positioning said first section of said closure portion between said belt and said user and positioning said second section and said tuck flap between said belt and said rear wall of said container.

2. A container for shotgun shells for attachment to the belt of a user comprising front and rear walls; two side walls, each side Wall having one side edge connected to said front wall and the opposite side edge connected to said rear wall; a bottom closure panel; and a top closure panel, said top closure panel including a top closure portion having one end hingedly connected to said rear wall,

top closure portion, and a score line extending across said closure portion in a direction parallel to the end thereof and dividing said closure panel into first and second sections; at least one of said side walls having a removable section defined by a line of weakness, said line of weakness including a first set of spaced portions intermediate the side edge of said side wall, a second set of spaced portions interconnected with said first set and extending to one side edge of said side wall, and a third set of spaced portions interconnected With said first set and extending to the other side edge of said side wall, each of said second and third sets having their portions spaced apart a greater distance than the portions of said first set; and said line of weakness extending into said front and rear walls to define continuations of said removable section, said line of weakness in each of said front and rear walls including a first set of spaced portions spaced apart a distance equal to the space between the. portions of said second and third sets in said side wall and being coextensive therewith, a second set of spaced portions spaced apart a distance less than the distance between the portions of said first set in said front and rear walls, and a portion interconnecting the portions of said second set at their ends remote from said side wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,972,406 9/1934 Marsh 221305 2,426,484 8/ 1947 Buffenbarger 224-22 2,765,906 10/1956 Rossurn 221305 X 2,789,727 4/1957 Singleton 224l3 X GERALD M. FORLENZA, Primary Examiner.

F. E. WERNER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A CONTAINER FOR SHOTGUN SHELLS FOR ATTACHMENT TO A BELT OF A USER COMPRISING FRONT AND REAR WALLS, TWO SIDE WALLS, A BOTTOM CLOSURE PANEL, AND A TOP CLOSURE PANEL, SAID TOP CLOSURE PANEL INCLUDING A TOP CLOSURE PORTION HAVING ONE END HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO SAID REAR WALL, A TUCK FLAP HINGEDLY CONNECTED TO THE OPPOSITE END OF SAID TOP CLOSURE PORTION, AND A SCORE LINE EXTENDING ACROSS SAID CLOSURE PORTION IN A DIRECTION PARALLEL TO THE END THEREOF AND DIVIDING SAID CLOSURE PANEL INTO FIRST AND SECOND SEC- 